Cause and Effect
by Red Letter
Summary: Everything that occurs in the past has an effect on the future. Kagome's learning the meaning of cause and effect the hard way as her future begins to change, a future that had previously been without magic...or demons.


**Disclaimer:** I got nothing.

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**Cause and Effect**

**Prologue:** Little Boy Blue

**Song for this chapter:** English Summer Rain-Placebo (as ever I'm welcome to other suggestions)

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Souta hadn't moved from the well side since morning, disregarding both breakfast and school. He had even forgotten to feed Buyo who was now sitting, in an act of unspoken rebellion, on the top step of the well house with his back turned to the boy, ignoring him. 

Mrs Higurashi watched herson anxiously, running her hand through the cat's thick, orange fur. He was awfully pale with the dark hair under the cap sticking out at odd angles and red circles under his too bright eyes. He was wearing gloves but had his hands shoved under his armpits as well, clutching himself to stop the shaking.

"Souta-" She spoke into the silence.

"I don't want to talk about it kaa-san." He snapped angrily, cutting off her sentence. She would've been furious at such behaviour normally, but she could see the slight glisten of tears under the shadow the cap cast. Suddenly her heart leapt into her throat.

"Oh gods Souta, is it Kagome!"

"I said I didn't want to talk about it!" This was a near shout and echoed in the horrified silence of the well house.

"Souta, tell me right this minute. What has happened to Kagome?" Mrs Higurashi's voice was very faint, something she was proud of and she wasn't crying, or panicking, or shouting. She wasn't hysterical and she-Kagome's mother ignored the burn at the base of her throat and listened to her son's unsteady breathing.

"Nothing's happened to Kagome mama." He said gently, "You should go back inside, it's cold today." Her son curled in on himself, bringing his knees up against his chest, blowing warm air against his frozen knees in their pajama trousers.

Mrs Higurashi opened her mouth but stopped at the slow glow which began to form in the darkness of the well. A large yellow rucksack was swung over the wooden lip, followed by the windswept from of her daughter.

"Gosh it's cold! Hey Souta." Kagome's arms were suddenly filled with the small, cold body of her little brother, "Oi, I thought you said you were too old for hugs!" But she hugged him back a grin tumbling across her tired face. Then she felt the warm arms of her mother embrace her and she snuggled into the hug.

'It's so nice to be home.' She thought peacebly, half dead on her feet from exhaustion. It was really wonderful, being away from all that madness back in the feudal era, to be away from gods and demons and whatever else got thrown at her.

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Kagome woke up, rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, pulling her blankets closer to try and keep out the biting cold. However the cold was not something she enjoyed and soon enough she gave up to go and find an extra blanket from the linen closet. The tired girl yawned, "Urgh, why'd I leave my window open…stupid stupid." She mumbled sleepily. 

Making her way, still half blind with sleep, to the cupboard she noticed a light shinning under the door of Souta's room accompanied by a strange clicking noise.

"Souta?" She whispered, knocking softly "Hey Souta, you still awake?"

"I-wha-Kagome!" He sounded shocked, a little guilty even and she heard the sound of something crash to the floor. It sounded like glass, or maybe metal.

"What was that?" Kagome asked, slightly louder this time, though she kept to a whisper as she didn't want to wake her mother so early in the morning. The sun wasn't even up yet and the only reason she could tell it was day was the incessant, tuneless cheeping of the birds.

"Look it's nothing. Go back to bed." His words were hurried, tripping after each other and she could hear his fingernails scratching on the floor as he tried to pick up what ever he'd lost. Then she heard him muffle a curse.

"Souta let me in! Did you step on glass?" She was worried now and puzzled, usually if her brother hurt himself he's come crying to her or mama within seconds and his voice was…peculiar, sort of strained.

"I said I'll be out in a minute. P-please go away!" She heard the little crack in his voice and pounded harder on the door with one hand, the other rattling the door handle.

"Otouto! What is it?"

"Mind your own business."

"Please Souta!" Kagome shouted. He _never_ spoke like that, he was bratish sometimes yes, but not plain rude. Just then her miko senses sprung to life and she froze.

A demonic aura.

"Open this door! SOUTA!"

There was no answer from her little brother's room. The girl slammed her shoulder against the door again and again shouting his name until it stopped being a word and became white noise, soullessly bouncing off the walls of the corridor. Eventually the wood gave, splintering beneath her weight, and she was flung inside.

"Souta, what's happened! Are you-" She stopped as her little brother turned bright golden eyes on her.

"I'm sorry Kag." His voice was lower now and as he spoke she could see the glimmer of white fangs underneath his braces.

"I didn't want you to see this."

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**A/N:** This is the very beginning of a fic I'm going to write side by side with Reflections on the Inside. I'd really love some reviews this time! Please don't flame but I welcome constructive criticism, so let me know what you think. This isn't going to be the average 'Higurashi family turn into youkai' fic so I'm afraid there'll be quite a bit of back story. 


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